Latinos in Wapello County have highest homeownership in Iowa

WAPELLO COUNTY, Iowa (KCRG) – Wapello County has one of the highest homeownership rates for Latinos in the state of Iowa, according to the League of United Latin American Citizens.

Himar Hernandez is the treasurer for the local LULAC chapter & had this to say about what the organization does to help the Latino community.

“We have tried to advance the rights & the future of the Latino community. If there’s a barrier in the community that Latinos are facing we try to help them.”

According to data from a LULAC study, 78 percent of Latinos in Wapello County own their own home, which is a rate 24 percent higher than the rest of the state.

Hernandez attributes the Wapello County rate to resources available in the community.

“We were able to work with the city and with banks and with institutions to make sure that there is equal opportunity and that we create the programs that were specific to Latinos or to newcomers so that they understood, you know, how to build credit.”

It’s not just the support from LULAC & other non-profits that offer programs for Latinos in Ottumwa that keeps people coming to Wapello County. Above all else, it’s also the people.

“I’ve heard people say Ottumwa is like a place where you feel that whatever happens in your life, somebody will have your back. And so that is huge because when you don’t have family and you come to this country, you come without nobody protecting your back. And then the fact that you can create community where that’s your sense. That’s huge.”

Mark Roe, Executive Director of Greater Ottumwa Partners in Progress, commented on these achievements, saying, “We are immensely proud of our Latino community in Wapello County for their dedication to homeownership and workforce engagement. These accomplishments strengthen our community.”

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